


Advice from Beyond

by RyunnKazan



Series: Laughter in the Walls [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 10:45:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13568961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyunnKazan/pseuds/RyunnKazan
Summary: Rumplestiltskin offers Gideon some relationship advice...he's actually really good at it.





	Advice from Beyond

**Author's Note:**

> A continuation of Laughter in the Walls...really didn't think I'd get back to this one 0-0

Somehow—even with her “residential haunter” annoying the hell out of them—Belle and Gideon had managed to make the salmon mansion their home.

Within the month they had the old house put together—and Rumplestiltskin even relented to let them decorate it the way they wanted, though he still gave them grief about…well…everything.

Still, they were comfortable and were able to start their new lives in Storybrooke unperturbed.

That is until the day Gideon barged into the house an hour before school let out.

Belle had been at the table trying to get together the past months bills, a task deterred by Rumplestiltskin as he moved her papers around. Both the residential haunter and Belle paused their bickering when Gideon through the door open and rushed up the stairs without an explanation.

“Gideon?” Belle called up the stairs, earning a slammed door as a response.

“How rude!” Rumplestiltskin shrilled.

Before Belle could chastise the residential haunter, the ancient kitchen phone rang, and Belle huffed at him before going to answer it.

“Hello…oh Principal Merlin…yes he’s here…he…what?”

Rumplestiltskin watched as her brow crinkled in worry. Usually he would revel in her misery and frustration, but he recognized the fear and slight panic in her expression: it was the look of a parent.

He used to see the same look in his own face when he looked in the mirror.

After a moment, Belle hung up the phone and leaned against the counter tiredly.

Rumplestiltskin was tempted to ask if she was alright, but that would have made it seemed like he actually cared, and he couldn’t have her think that. Not at all.

“There was an incident at school with a girl.” Belle relayed to him as she rubbed her temple. “The school is letting him off with a warning for leaving the school without permission, because that’s obviously what’s so darn important.”

 “Ah!” the scaled man giggled. “A girl problem is it? And how will you be handling this?”

Belle gave him an annoyed look. “My son has never hesitated to talk to me about anything before. When he’s ready to talk, he will.”

Rumplestiltskin could hear the tired strain of her voice. It was the tone of a parent who was unsure of what to do.

He recalled solemnly how he wished Bae’s mother had been in the picture to talk to him about certain things. He had done his best, going off his own experiences, but he was certain that he had confused and embarrassed his son more than helped him. Somehow his boy had grown into a fine young man who respected the women he dated, abet he was a bit awkward.

Belle’s situation was a bit more complicated. Sometimes parents with children of the opposite sex couldn’t always understand what their children were going through. Bringing in someone more gender-appropriate could be more beneficial.

However, Gideon’s father was out of the picture, and his grandfather was on the other side of the world.

“Perhaps…I could speak to him.” Rumplestiltskin offered.

Belle stared at him, surprised by his offer. However, she was more concerned with what he would say to her son.

“If you try to embarrass or insult him…” she warned.

“Perish the thought!” Rumplestiltskin dismissed with a flourish of his hand. “I dealt with young love once. Whatever some girl did to him I’ll have him over it in an hour.”

Belle smirked as he flounced up the stairs, admiring his confidence in his skills but knew he didn’t know all the details.

“There’s one little detail you need to know before you go into his room.” Belle called up to him.

“And what would that be, dearie?” Rumple laughed.

Belle turned to return into the kitchen, holding down a bark of laughter.

“My son likes boys.”

Rumplestiltskin grabbed hold of the banister to prevent himself from falling face-first into the last step.

“He…what?!”

“Have fun!” Belle laughed as the sound of pots and pans echoed from the kitchen.

Rumplestiltskin stood flabbergasted on the stairs. This particular field of parenting was not within his forte. Now he had to choose between going downstairs and facing defeat from Belle or going into Gideon’s room and trying to understand what he was going through.

Somehow having an awkward conversation with a love-struck seventeen-year-old seemed less painful.

Inside the bedroom, Gideon was suddenly pulled form his mulling when a weight dropped onto his bedside. A piercing giggle caused him to spring off the bed and collide with his bedside table, nearly knocking the lamp off.

“What the actual hell, you undead sociopath!” he screamed at the lounging residential haunter.

Rumplestiltskin giggled, throwing his legs over the side of Gideon’s bed.

“Hell is such a dark concept,” Rumplestiltskin said. “Let’s talk about something just slightly less depressing…like your love life!”

Gideon glanced at his bedroom door, wondering if his mother was outside and could save him from this garbage conversation.

“Are you kidding? Why the hell would you even give a damn?”

Rumplestiltskin’s twisted smirk remained, but his mind was reeling for an explanation.

“Your mother was bellyaching about it,” he scoffed. “This seemed like the quickest way to shut her up.”

Gideon glared at his live-in haunter. “Don’t be an asshole.”

“You aren’t much different,” Rumplestiltskin argued, bouncing on the bed. “Blocking your mother out, worrying her so.”

“Like you care.” Gideon muttered, falling back into his desk chair.

“Well I’m already here, might as well spit it out!”

“It’s nothing,” Gideon argued, “It’s just…this bitch at school…”

Rumplestiltskin grimaced. He always hated that slur.

“Don’t use that word.” He snarled. “How would you like it if someone referred to your mother that way?”

Gideon sighed in annoyance but nodded his head. “Fair enough.”

“Good,” Rumplestiltskin shrilled, bringing his legs up to cross them on the bed. “Now continue. What’s her name?”

Gideon frowned at seeing the haunter’s boots on his bed, but decided that with him being dead there wouldn’t be much dirt and continued.

“Alexandra Herman. She…” Gideon swallowed and Rumplestiltskin tried to contain his growing concern when he saw the boy’s eyes glass over.

“She was assigned to show me around school, catch me up on projects, stuff like that.” Gideon continued. “She’s head cheerleader, so she introduced me to all the jocks, all the “important” people.” Gideon rolled his eyes, but a slight pink spread over his cheeks. “Neal Nolan apparently falls into that category.”

Rumplestiltskin laughed softly. He remembered the Nolan boy very vaguely from his mortal time, but recalled that the lad was charming enough thanks to good breeding, and would be a candidate for everyone’s heartbreaker when he got older.

“You like this boy, no?” Rumplestiltskin pressed naughtily.

Gideon shuffled in his chair, his jaw clenching. “He’s nice, not your typical jock kind of guy. We like the same things and he really…” Gideon paused, staring at the giddy imp on his bed.

“I am not talking about this with you!”

Rumplestiltskin giggled with glee, clapping his hands and earning a strange look of surprise from Gideon.

“Ah! You confessed your feelings and he slighted you!”

“No!” Gideon snarled, blushing. “I didn’t and now there’s no way in hell…or whatever afterlife you believe in…that’ll I’ll get the chance!”

“Why’s that?”

“Because that b-,” Gideon paused, “Alexandra somehow caught on that I…like him…and she announced it at lunch in front of the entire school.”

Rumplestiltskin tensed. No wonder the poor boy ran away.

“I see.” He said, because really what could anyone say?

When he glanced back at Gideon, he saw that tears were threatening to fall down his sharp cheeks.

“I don’t know how I’m going to face him now.” Gideon admitted, his voice heavy with fear and uncertainty.

Suddenly, Rumplestiltskin felt a sharp fire fly through him, feeling his chest with a biting anger. He held back a gasp as the feeling overtook him, tears pricking his eyes as he recognized the emotions of parental instincts.

Gideon was hurting…and he cared!

What a disgusting, horrifying, amazing feeling.

“Just tell him how you feel, really feel that is.” Rumplestiltskin said, the burst of instincts guiding him through this previously unexplored field of parenting. “And if he doesn’t return your feelings…just try to accept him as a friend.”

Gideon scoffed. “You make it sound so easy.”

“Sometimes letting go is all you can do.” Rumplestiltskin mused. “And…I suppose there’s plenty fish in the sea.”

Gideon looked at him, chucking at the residential haunter’s nervous fidgeting.

“Did you seriously just give me dad-advice?”

“What!” Rumplestiltskin exclaimed with false rage. “I did nothing of the sort!”

Gideon shrugged, standing. “Because if you are, I would say thanks. And I would mean it.”

The last part Gideon said softly, but the words laid heavy on Rumplestiltskin’s chest. What the hell was going on?

“Tis no matter.” Rumplestiltskin waved him off, jumping off his bed with a flourish. “Just…tell your mother I told you to get over it or…something.”

Gideon rolled his eyes, readying an equally sarcastic comment when the ear-shattering doorbell rang through the house.

“Could you fix that!” Gideon whined.

“Does it bother you?”

“Uh, yeah it does!”

“Then…no!”

Gideon rolled his eyes and stalked out of the room to see who was at the door. Rumplestiltskin followed behind him, hiding in the shadows to watch the scene below him unfold.

Gideon stilled at the end of the stairs, his face alighting when his mother stepped aside to admit Neal Nolan.

“You have a visitor,” his mother stated with a wink in her voice.

“Hi…” Neal greeted, hesitating at the threshold.

Gideon only nodded, his voice sinking into the very bottom of his voice box.

Neal fidgeted with his messenger bag before pulling out a notebook.

“You…missed fifth period.” He said, eyes not quite meeting Gideon’s.

“Yeah,” Gideon choked out.

“We have a quiz over the stuff we learned today…so you’ll need the notes.”

Gideon was very still, unsure how to react. He honestly hope the reason Neal was here was for something other than his academic well-being.

Belle was struggling not to burst out laughing at her boy’s awkwardness. With a calming breath she straightened up and thought of a solution for the two boys.

“Would you like to join us for dinner, Neal?”

Neal blinked out of his stare down with Gideon. He glanced around the living room uncertainly.

“No thank you, Ms. French.”

Belle nodded but noticed her son’s face fall out of the corner of her eye.

_Tell them to go out!_

Belle’s spine stiffened as she felt Rumplestiltskin icy breath on her neck. She glanced around but did not find the imp behind her.

She found the boys staring at her when she turned back to them.

“If your parents don’t mind, maybe you two could go to the diner.”

Gideon shot his mother a “I can’t believe you!” look.

“If…you want to.” Neal spoke, eyes not quite meeting Gideon’s.

Gideon turned a wide-eyed stare to his mother. She nodded enthusiastically, mouthing “go on”.

“Let me just…grab…a thing.” Gideon said as he raced up the stairs, meeting a smirking residential haunter at the top.

“Very charming.” Rumplestiltskin whispered.

“Shut up!” Gideon hissed back.

In a matter of moments, he and Neal Nolan were strolling down the street towards the dinner, Belle covering her heart as she watched them from the window.

“Well, I think I perfected the dad-talk, if I do say so myself.”

Belle turned to find the residential haunter leaning against the door, shining his talons against his scaly vest. She crossed her arms, but her smile was that of amusement.

“And just what did you say to him?” she inquired, stepping closer.

“Oh just…gave him the advice of the year is all.” He gloated, giving Belle a sly wink.

“You seem quite satisfied with yourself,” Belle smirked. “As if you enjoyed counseling my son.”

Rumplestiltskin frowned. How dare she ruin his good mood!

“I simply know my own skill, dearie.” He hissed, dissatisfied when didn’t even flinch. She only smiled that stupid smile of hers. Even when he won she somehow came out victorious!

Then, she did something he really didn’t expect. She reached out covered his hand with hers; well, really hovered over it, as her hand would have phased right through if she did.

Still, it was the first time she actively touched him since a month ago when he revealed his tragic backstory to her, and he was a bit surprised.

“Thank you. I mean that.” Belle in the softest tone.

The weight of Belle’s hand felt odd a top of his…almost warm. It was a similar to the feeling he got when he was talking to Gideon. He felt…alive.

It was terrifying.

He pulled his hand from Belle’s. “Tis no matter.”

Belle frowned at his sudden reluctance and decided to try a different angle.

“If it’s just you and me tonight, you want to unlock the wine cellar and pass out on the couch?”

The residential haunter hesitated, wanting to be alone so that he could process these unearthly feelings. But…

With a wave of his hand a bottle of Red Moscato appeared in his hand and he grinned when Belle stepped back.

“I didn’t know you could do that.” She gasped.

“There’s plenty you don’t know about me, dearie.” Rumplestiltskin giggled.

Belle smirked and took the bottle from him.

“In that case, I’ll find two glasses and you think of a story to tell.”

Rumplestiltskin panicked as she strolled back to the kitchen. How is it that every time he sassed her it somehow turned into a sharefest between them?

He could hide, he thought, hide and wait for her to forget her pesky idea. Hide in the darkest crepitus of his house…alone…

Again.

With an annoyed huff he followed Belle into the kitchen.

She better have brought out the big glasses.

 

 

 


End file.
